08-08-2009, 04:57 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Enough with the personal opinions, heresay, urban legends and pseudo-science.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Utah Lake DID have problems with chemical contaminants when Geneva Steel was dumping all its waste into the lake. No doubt there are some residues in some areas. But, contrary to popular opinion, Utah Lake is not a deep lake filled in by sediment. Much of the bottom of the lake is bedrock...volcanic rubble...and is washed and scoured every year by fresh incoming water and the agitation of waves. This picks up a lot of the old sediment, puts it in the water and it is sucked down the Jordan river. And, there is not a lot of new mud coming into the lake every year since the major tributaries are dammed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water from Utah Lake is a lot cleaner and healthier than many of our high mountain reservoirs...some of which have been affected by mine runoffs with arsenic, mercury, cyanide, etc. There are more fish advisories for Jordanelle than for Utah Lake...and that water runs down the Provo River and into Deer Creek.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Attached are REAL SCIENTIFIC studies that have been published in local papers. In the one for Utah Lake, largemouth bass are not even mentioned. Their level of PCBs was lower than white bass and was not considered enough to publish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]While PCBs are not good, they have not been proven to be the cause of any illness or physical problem due to people eating fish from Utah Lake. And, some families have virtually lived on fish from Utah Lake for several generations without any apparent problems caused by fish consumption.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In a past Utah Anglers Coalition meeting, one of the DWR folks who had been working with the testing agencies presented it this way:[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]"You are exposed to more harmful chemicals in filling your gas tank than from eating fish from Utah Lake."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We all have our own opinions and make our own decisions for our own reasons. If somebody is concerned about the quality of any food item they should not eat it. But, they should not make a religion out of pounding on other people because they do not believe the same way.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Poor old Utah Lake. The Rodney Dangerfield of Utah waters. Gets no respect.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Utah Lake DID have problems with chemical contaminants when Geneva Steel was dumping all its waste into the lake. No doubt there are some residues in some areas. But, contrary to popular opinion, Utah Lake is not a deep lake filled in by sediment. Much of the bottom of the lake is bedrock...volcanic rubble...and is washed and scoured every year by fresh incoming water and the agitation of waves. This picks up a lot of the old sediment, puts it in the water and it is sucked down the Jordan river. And, there is not a lot of new mud coming into the lake every year since the major tributaries are dammed.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The water from Utah Lake is a lot cleaner and healthier than many of our high mountain reservoirs...some of which have been affected by mine runoffs with arsenic, mercury, cyanide, etc. There are more fish advisories for Jordanelle than for Utah Lake...and that water runs down the Provo River and into Deer Creek.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Attached are REAL SCIENTIFIC studies that have been published in local papers. In the one for Utah Lake, largemouth bass are not even mentioned. Their level of PCBs was lower than white bass and was not considered enough to publish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]While PCBs are not good, they have not been proven to be the cause of any illness or physical problem due to people eating fish from Utah Lake. And, some families have virtually lived on fish from Utah Lake for several generations without any apparent problems caused by fish consumption.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In a past Utah Anglers Coalition meeting, one of the DWR folks who had been working with the testing agencies presented it this way:[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]"You are exposed to more harmful chemicals in filling your gas tank than from eating fish from Utah Lake."[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We all have our own opinions and make our own decisions for our own reasons. If somebody is concerned about the quality of any food item they should not eat it. But, they should not make a religion out of pounding on other people because they do not believe the same way.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Poor old Utah Lake. The Rodney Dangerfield of Utah waters. Gets no respect.[/#0000ff]
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